Enamorus is unique among the new Pokemon in Legends Arceus, being the only brand new standalone Pokemon introduced in this game that wasn’t an evolution for a pre-existing mon. She is a new Genie like Pokemon in the mold of Landorus, Thundurus, and Tornadus. Like the others, she has two forms, an Incarnate Forme and Therian Forme, with different stats. As a brand new Pokemon, it’s going to be interesting to see if Enamorus is as strong as her Forces of Nature counterparts in official VGC and Smogon competitive play. 

As an aside, you may wonder why the Forces of Nature from Generation 5 are in a game that’s set in the Hisui region, later known as the Sinnoh region, of Generation 4. But, let’s not question why these powerful legendary Pokemon are in the game, because they are awesome. From a design standpoint, it’s thrilling for we female Pokemon trainers to see a female Force of Nature, and it stands to reason there should’ve always been a fourth member for the four seasons. Bulbapedia has a nice write-up about the believed inspiration for Enamorus. 

Naturally, Enamorus’ base stat total is the same as Thundurus and Tornadus at 180; Landorus has 600 total base stats. But, the differences in stats between her forms are quite substantial.

Incarnate Forme:

• 74 HP
• 115 ATK
• 70 DEF
• 135 SP. ATK
• 80 SP. DEF
• 106 SPD

Therian Forme:

• 74 HP
• 115 ATK
• 110 DEF
• 135 SP. ATK
• 100 SP. DEF
• 46 SPD

Talk about a major switch in stats! The Incarnate Forme hits hard and fast with an above average 106 Speed stat. The Therian form still hits hard, but trades 60 points in speed for 40 points in defense and 20 in Special defense. Essentially, this Fairy/Flying type Pokemon can be considered as two entirely separate Pokemon, thanks to these staggering differences. 

First, we’ll look at the downsides. The main problem with Enamorus is her defensive typing. While Fairy is generally a great typing, with the usual weaknesses of Poison and Steel, adding Flying adds additional weaknesses to Rock, Electric, and Ice. Already, she doesn’t look nearly as good as the other three Forces of Nature with that many weaknesses. 

Let’s see how Enamorus stacks up against Landorus:

Landorus Incarnate Forme (Therian Forme)

• 89 HP (89)
• 125 ATK (145)
• 90 DEF (90)
• 115 SP. ATK (105)
• 80 SP. DEF (80)
• 101 SPD (91)

It’s not hard to see how Landorus-Therian has become one of the best Pokemon in the entire game for competitive play. That 145 Attack stat is massive, and the Ground/Flying type Landorus is weak to just Water and Ice. Incarnate Forme Enamorus is a bit faster, but what can it do to either Landorus forme?

How does Enamorus stack up against the Electric/Flying type Thundurus, who has the same base stat total?

Thundurus Incarnate Forme (Therian Forme)

• 79 HP (79)
• 115 ATK (105)
• 70 DEF (70)
• 125 ATK (145)
• 80 SP. DEF (80)
• 111 SPD (101)

In competitive play, Therian Thundurus is somewhat superior thanks to its huge Special Attack stat. Its Speed stat of 101 is still plenty quick enough and Thundurus-Therian is a solid Underused Pokemon according to Smogon. Its traditional Forme is UU/OU borderline, thanks to being too good in UU thanks to being quicker and more balanced on offense. In many ways, Enamorus resembles Thundurus’ Incarnate Forme with a bit more Special Attack prowess, albeit with a worse defensive typing. Thundurus is weak to just Rock and Ice. Also, Thundurus Incarnate Forme is among the top Pokemon in VGC in 2021; it was Top 5 in usage during Series 11 VGC.

Finally, how does Enamorus stack up against the mono-Flying type Tornadus?

Tornadus Incarnate Forme (Therian Forme)

• 79 HP (79)
• 115 ATK (100)
• 70 DEF (80)
• 125 SP. ATK (110)
• 80 SP. DEF (90)
• 111 SPD (121)

You may not expect the Therian Forme of Tornadus to be better, but Incarnate Forme is a mid-tier competitive Pokemon in Never Used (NU) Borderline; although Incarnate form is a strong Pokemon in VGC Doubles. The Therian Forme doesn’t hit as hard, but it is significantly quicker and also is blessed with the strong Regenerator ability – it gains back one-third of its HP when it switches out. It is weak to three types, being Rock, Electric, and Ice, but thanks to Regenerator, it actually benefits itself switching out. Unfortunately, Regenerator doesn’t exist for use in Legends Arceus; all abilities are hidden in the code for this game.

So, from a purely statistical standpoint, Enamorus, at least in Incarnate Forme, has a chance to be just as good as Thundurus and is likely better than Tornadus in its Incarnate Forme. That’s no slouch having a floor of an Underused Pokemon. Where this Pokemon lives and dies will be by its move pool and abilities.

Honestly, Enamorus’ signature move of Springtime Storm is yet another highly inaccurate new move created for Legends Arceus. It has just 80 percent accuracy, although it does hit both foes, much like Dazzling Gleam. That being said, why wouldn’t you just run Dazzling Gleam, even if the base power is lower? The difference between the same-type attack bonus boosted 135 and 115 is certainly significant, but what good is 135 power if it misses entirely? It may be viable in VGC doubles, but that’s risky for most trainers to want to bother with. It also doesn’t have any other upside like other inaccurate AoE (Area of Effect) moves like Rock Slide usually have, such as a chance to flinch. 

Fortunately, Enamorus learns the typical Fairy-type move suite in Draining Kiss and Moonblast by level up, plus Dazzling Gleam and Play Rough by the Training Grounds. Strangely enough, Game Freak neglected to give Enamorus any Flying-type moves. This isn’t only an oversight, it’s downright lazy. That being said, access to Mystical Fire, Sludge Bomb, Earth Power, and Psychic as strong Special attack moves is welcomed.

Interestingly, Enamorus also has Power Shift. This makes a lot of sense on a highly defensive Pokemon like Probopass, but not what one would expect on an offensive Pokemon like Enamorus. In its Therian Form, it makes a bit more sense with the substantially higher defenses, but it’s hard to see why you’d want to do this. 

Now, while abilities are hidden and inactive in Pokemon Legends Arceus, we do know Enamorus’ abilities. In her Incarnate Forme, she has Healer, which has a 30 percent chance of healing a teammate’s Status Condition. In Legends Arceus, status conditions are pretty wonky, but in traditional Pokemon, this is a decent ability best known on Chansey or Blissey.

The hidden ability of Contrary, however, may be the better option in competitive Pokemon, as it increases stats that would otherwise be decreased. In competitive play where Intimidate runs rampant lowering attack, an Enamorus with Contrary could be a solid team member. It would force you to run a more physical set with moves like Play Rough, Crunch, and Giga Impact, but her attack is good enough to make that set work. (A Flying-type move would be nice, though!)

The Therian Forme also has a useful ability in Overcoat, which not only prevents damage from sandstorms or hail, but it also is unaffected by powder moves or Spore. We’ll return to Enamorus’ Therian Forme in a moment, but that could prove very useful.

As for where Enamorus Incarnate Forme will end up ranking competitively, it remains to be seen if she gains access to a Flying-type move when transferred to future games such as Scarlet and Violet. Without that second same-type attack bonus move, while she’s certainly still viable, it takes away a strong offensive option. 

This is where the Therian Forme comes into, with both offensive prowess and high defensive bulk, Enamorus could become a fixture on Trick Room teams. Yes, 46 base Speed is dreadful, but that out-speeds common high-level Pokemon like Snorlax. In Trick Room, Therian Enamorus isn’t going to be the first Pokemon to hit, thanks to there being much slower mons, but she will be a factor. 

Having five weaknesses means Enamorus Therian Forme’s defensive stats will come into play quite often, but her 135 Special Attack will allow her to hit back hard and often. Even her limited move pool in Legends Arceus suggests she will have the type coverage to be competitive. To make her even more viable, you’ll want a nature that boosts her Special Attack at the cost of Speed, to make her even better in Trick Room, which would be a Quiet nature.

For more good advice about building a competitive Enamorus and how she can fit into your battle team-building plans in Scarlet and Violet, check out this video from BridgeFourGames on YouTube.

To be fair, both Formes of Enamorus have their pros and cons. But, overall, Enamorus is a good Pokemon. It won’t be surprising if Enamorus is quite active in both the Smogon competitive scene and in actual VGC Doubles. After all, she is a legendary Pokemon, and Game Freak has leaned towards Legendary mons dominating the VGC scene. Until we see what she gains in her moveset on transitioning to Scarlet and Violet, the best bet for Enamorus is that she’ll see play somewhere between Thundurus and Tornadus in VGC and make some appearances in top tier Smogon competitive singles play, too. 

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Updated 9/19/2022

P.S. Apparently, they switched Enamorus regular ability from Healer to Cute Charm, but it still has the Contrary hidden ability. She also gets Superpower like the other genies.